Secret
by lightofeilia
Summary: Axel is a new student in Radiant Garden Music College. He meets Roxas, an extremely talented piano player as well, but what does this blue-eyed blond have to hide? There are no secrets that cannot be told... there are only secrets that must unfold. Akurok
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! This is a new project of mine. I must say, the plot here does not belong to me, it belongs to a very famous Asian artist called **Jay Chou**, and this is based on the movie he directed, which is called **"A Secret That Cannot Be Told**," direct translation from Mandarin.

I'm using the characters of KH here, because I love them, and Axel/Roxas is pure OTP love, and I'm testing my writing skills out on this plot which I also love, and also to introduce to the non-Asian people who might stumble across this fic of the awesomeness that is Jay Chou. To those of you who do know who I'm talking about, and have watched the movie, please leave a review (unless it's to flame Jay Chou, which I really can't tolerate because I'm an awesome fan of his..) and tell me what you think! And don't spoil anything for other readers too!

**Disclaimer : The characters belong to Kingdom Hearts, Square-Enix, all that jazz. The plot belongs to Jay Chou (most of it, at least). **

**Secret : Chapter 1 **

Shielding his eyes from the glaring sun, a tall redhead stood outside the gates of Radiant Garden Music College, dressed in the required uniform (though, of course, with a few messy yet stylish additions), squinting inside through the iron bars. The college was well known for its old history and prestigious music students, well-gifted in the art and history of music. After glaring back at a few students who had stopped to stare at him, he walked in.

It was a nice change, he decided after a few minutes of taking in the scenery. The school was very pretty; pretty in the sense that it was nicely decorated and had a homely feel to it. The vines crawling down the sides of the old, red-bricked buildings made him feel more relaxed, as did the garden and the number of students lounging lazily around, basking in the warmth of the end of spring. There were a few new buildings too, he noted, especially the main hall. The contrast was very startling; the walls were painted white and it looked very _clean_, to put it plainly, and he estimated the building to be about 3 or 4 years old.

"New student?"

He whipped around, startled, and came face to face with a blond guy.

"You must be Axel, right?" he asked, holding out his hand for him to shake, completing the picture with a goofy smile.

Nodding, Axel shook his hand.

"That's one hella hairstyle you got there," said Axel, eyeing the dirty-blond's mullet.

"Yeah, I know. That's one hella hair colour you got there. Heh. Anyway, I'm Demyx. I'm supposed to be your guide for today," he said, grinning wildly. Axel grinned back, running his fingers through his hair again.

"So, where to?"

They walked on, chatting amiably as Demyx took Axel round on a brief tour of the school. It was pretty easy to get around, and Axel let the last of his doubts slip away.

"It's kinda weird to have you transferring in your third year," said Demyx, sucking on a random lollipop. Axel made a non-committable sound, not really wishing to answer. Looking around for a quick topic change, he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Got yourself a girlfriend yet?" he asked, smirking cheekily.

"No," said Demyx, smiling around his lollipop.

"Well, you certainly sound pretty happy about it."

"Maaaaybe. Hey, show me your schedule."

Axel dug around in his bag, sticking out his tongue in concentration. He didn't notice Demyx staring at him. Finally he took out a few books and shoved them rudely into Demyx's hands, reached into the bottom of his bag and pulled out a rather crumpled, battered-looking piece of paper.

"Riight," said Demyx, amused, as he took the poor paper from Axel's hands.

"Shush."

"Okay, so most of your classes are in that building over there," said Demyx, pointing to one of the white modern buildings Axel was observing earlier, "And some of your practice lessons are in the old buildings over on the other side. Let's walk over there..."

"Pretty weird, the buildings. Old _and _new."

"Yeah, well, the school's been undergoing renovation for awhile," said Demyx, shrugging. "They've been tearing down the buildings to replace them. This building here? They're tearing it down this year. Graduation night."

"No shit?"

"No shit."

"Wow. But why not just renovate? Instead of tearing it down."

"The structure's pretty old and weak. It's like, wooden floorboards and all. It creaks, makes odd sounds, and it's loud and has echoes and stuff. One time a group of students jumped hard at the same time on the 3rd floor... the other students below ran out, thinking there was some kind of earthquake or something. It was _awesome_."

"Right... and were you part of this?" asked Axel, nudging the other a bit.

"Anyway, they're mostly music rooms now..." said Demyx, ignoring the implication, though smiling slightly anyway. "The principal is gonna move most of the musical instruments to the new buildings. The pianos are gonna be a pain to move, though. I heard some of the pianos in there are so old they're considering destroying them anyway."

"I see..."

Checking his watch, Demyx yelped and turned to Axel. "Shit, I'm late. I promised a friend to do something for him, crap..."

"Hey," said Axel, raising his hands. "I'm alright. I don't mind doing a bit of solo-exploring."

"Something's not quite right with that sentence," said Demyx, frowning. Axel laughed, and he grinned.

"Catch you later then. Nice meeting you, Axel."

"You too."

Humming contentedly to himself, Axel wandered about the old building. The wooden floorboards creaked with every step Axel took, and it was beginning to get on his nerves. Framed pictures hung on the walls, and the beady eyes of old-time musicians stared down at him disapprovingly. The old building certainly was big, and Axel suddenly felt like a small child again, exploring rooms in a big old house and finding new adventures in each one of them, knocking over vases of flowers and hiding under the beds.

Making a random turn into a hallway, he looked over each room; every room had a piano in it, furnished with a bookshelf to store music books. All in all, it was a pretty calming atmosphere, with lush drapes and potted plants. He wondered how the caretakers of the school kept up with the tedious job of up keeping. Noticing the lack of other musical instruments, he supposed the ground floor catered for the piano students, and made up his mind to check out the floors above.

As he slowly neared the middle of the hallway he realized it would lead to a dead end. Thinking he would find nothing interesting other than old pianos with rusty sounds, he was about to turn around and find a staircase leading upwards when he heard the faint sound of a song. The tune caught his attention, and he turned back, walking past the rooms and peering into each one of them. Empty. Empty. Empty...

The song grew faster and faster, and it drove Axel to quicken his pace. Suddenly, the song ended, on a high-pitched note. _Very high E_, thought Axel absently, as he reached the last room. The double doors were opened, but no one was at the piano.

_Oooooh_, thought Axel, his eyes raking over the wooden piano. _Baby grand! _

He stepped in through the doors, eager to test out the sound of the antique baby grand piano, when a flash of bright yellow to his left caught his eye. Startled, he jumped back, nearly knocking over a flower vase.

"Whoa, dude, you scared me man," he said, clutching his hand to his chest.

A little blond boy with messy spikes stared down at him from atop a ladder with unblinking blue eyes, so blue and big Axel thought he could see himself reflected in them. Caught in the moment, he stared back.

"Sorry," he said, offering a weak smile.

"It's ok."

They stood in awkward silence for a moment, with Axel trying to figure out how tall the little guy was and the blond boy scrutinizing him carefully.

"I've never seen you around before," said the blond, finally breaking the silence. "Are you new?"

The bell rang, startling the boy, who jumped and wobbled dangerously on the ladder.

"_Fuck_!" exclaimed Axel, holding up his hands in case the blond's center of gravity decided to shift ominously out of his body range and into his arms. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Fuck," repeated Axel, "I gotta go. I can't be late for my first class. See ya around!"

Turning away from the pretty blond was a hard thing to do, Axel discovered, and he felt his stomach lurch when those eyes blinked at him again. Waving a little, he dashed out of the door, cursing a blue streak as he weaved around the students to get to the new building, which was where his first class was.

"First class... dammit, what room number was it, 118? 128?"

Digging into his bag for the damned schedule again, he finally found out which classroom he was supposed to be in and headed off in search of room 138, and when he arrived he was ten minutes late and his teacher didn't look very pleased to see him.

"Sorry. I'm new, I got lost."

"Ah, the new student. Mr. Sinclair, I suppose?"

"Yes."

"My name is Mr. Leonheart," said the teacher, nodding slightly at him. "Sit. You're not very late, so don't worry about missing anything."

Staring around quickly at the class, he caught a big grin from a familiar face, and he grinned back to Demyx. There were two seats left: a seat right at the back of the class and behind Demyx, and another three seats in front of him.

"Not there, Mr. Sinclair," said the teacher, frowning again when Axel attempted to slink inconspicuously to the back. "There's a seat right there. Sit there."

Sighing, he scowled and settled down at the assigned place. He heard a soft sigh behind him and turned to look around at Demyx, who smiled apologetically.

"Face front, Sinclair."

_Damn, the guy sure is picking on me today_, he thought sourly. Tapping his pencil against the text he was supposed to be concentrating on, he let his thoughts drift as he sat through the rest of the class. Mr. Leonheart was talking about Chopin, a famous composer whose songs Axel liked to play, but at that moment all he could think of was the cute blond kid he'd met just before he had to get to class. He wondered if he'd meet him again... the boy had looked kinda lost and fragile. Making new friends wasn't hard. Trusting them was another matter entirely...

Just as he had started this train of thought, the door, which was only partially open, slid open slightly and the blond boy from before bowed slightly before stepping in. Mr. Leonheart was writing on the board, and the boy slipped in and walked to the back of the class, taking his seat behind Demyx.

_Oh, thought Axel. So that's why Mr. Leonheart didn't want me to sit there. It's already occupied._

Turning around in his seat, he caught the blond's gaze and smiled slightly, his smile widening when he received a smile in return. It was then he felt something wasn't quite right with him as he gazed back, feeling his heart flutter madly against his chest, tightening and tightening, and he wondered, he asked, in his head, _'Are you doing this to me...?'_

TBC

* * *

Sinclair. Lol. Someone wrote Reno Sinclair and I really liked that name, so I took it for Axel's last name xD

Please leave a review! Reviews are love!


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone! This is a new project of mine. I must say, the plot here does not belong to me, it belongs to a very famous Asian artist called **Jay Chou**, and this is based on the movie he directed, which is called **"A Secret That Cannot Be Told**," direct translation from Mandarin.

I'm using the characters of KH here, because I love them, and Axel/Roxas is pure OTP love, and I'm testing my writing skills out on this plot which I also love, and also to introduce to the non-Asian people who might stumble across this fic of the awesomeness that is Jay Chou. To those of you who do know who I'm talking about, and have watched the movie, please leave a review (unless it's to flame Jay Chou, which I really can't tolerate because I'm an awesome fan of his..) and tell me what you think! And don't spoil anything for other readers too!

**Disclaimer : The characters belong to Kingdom Hearts, Square-Enix, all that jazz. The plot belongs to Jay Chou (most of it, at least). **

**EDIT: OMG. MAJOR CORRECTION. ROXAS SITS BEHIND DEMYX. DEMYX IS ANOTHER COLUMN AWAY FROM AXEL, WHICH IS WHY THEY CAN SEE EACH OTHER. IF THEY WERE IN THE SAME COLUMN (OR WAS IT ROW? I FORGET) THEN IT'LL BE DIFFICULT TO SEE EACH OTHER WHEN AXEL TURNS BEHIND. KTQCONTINUEREADINGLOL)**

**Secret : Chapter 2 **

"_Axel_," growled the teacher, "This is the second time I have asked you to face front. Stop staring at girls in class. Pay attention!"

Axel quickly whipped around to face Mr. Leonheart, muttering an apology. When he turned around to write on the board, Axel chanced a quick glance behind again, to see the blond smirking at him. Demyx was smiling too, and so were the few girls sitting in front of him.

It continued that way throughout the whole lesson, because Axel couldn't get the blond's smile out of his mind. Stealing quick glances at him while the teacher wasn't looking became an exciting game, one that rewarded him with smiles when he successfully caught the other's gaze. It seemed like the whole world was narrowed down to him and the blond only; everyone else was unimportant, trivial ... and he couldn't care if he got kicked out from this school for not paying attention in class. He was paying enough attention as it is, just not to the right subject.

Of course, if he hadn't been so preoccupied with his little game, he might have noticed that the few girls who surrounded him were watching him.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson, and Axel packed up his things quickly, but the boy had already slipped out through the door. Cursing, he tried to leave but he was stopped by the teacher.

"Axel. A word, if you please."

The rest of the students filed out of the classroom, although a few loitered around outside the classroom, eavesdropping. They scurried away, however, once the teacher scowled at them.

"I thought you were a better student than Reno, Axel," said Leon, frowning. Sighing, Axel grinned apologetically at his teacher. Leon was a friend of his brother's, and though they weren't very close, Axel had met him a few times to know who he was and that he often wore leather and that his demeanour was borderline asshole-ish.

"It's a warning, Axel. Stop staring at Demyx in class."

Axel gaped at him, eyes wide.

"But I wasn't - "

"Reno told me you were gay. So don't worry about it. There are quite a number in this school as well."

"But it wasn't - "

"Demyx is gay too, so that should ease your worries a bit. Pursue him all you like, just not in my classroom. Now go."

Grumbling to himself, Axel left the classroom, irritated at Leon for not letting him explain himself. _Staring at Demyx?_ He thought incredulously, eyes scanning the hallway which was emptying quickly.

_Dammit, why is he so short?!_

Something poked him in his side, startling him. It was a blonde girl, and he recognised her to be the one sitting in front of Demyx. Not the blond he wanted to see..

"What's your name, new student? I'm Namine," she said, smiling prettily.

"Axel," said Axel, a tad impatiently. He didn't want to stand around talking to girls. He wanted to find that boy, talk to him, get his name, and maybe grope him a little. Hell yeah, that would be fun.

"You kept turning around in your seat today," she said, twirling a strand of hair with her fingers. "Were you looking at me?" she asked.

Taken aback by the abruptness of the question, Axel stuttered. "Er, no - no, I wasn't looking at you, I was looking behind you - "

"Great!" she exclaimed, giggling. "You two would make a cute couple," she added, before waving goodbye and leaving with her friends.

Axel stood there, gaping at the retreating figure of Namine, when something poked him in his other side from behind, startling him yet again.

"What the fuck?" hissed Axel angrily. That was the fourth time he was startled today, and he was not going to count anymore if he could help it.

"Looking for me?"

_Yes, babe_, thought Axel. _Looking for you, and wondering what's your name. _

"No, I wasn't."

The blond tapped a finger against his chin, tilting his head to one side.

"Alright then," he shrugged, walking away. "Bye."

He walked off before Axel could say anything, but luckily Axel's brain decided to shift into gear at that moment, and caught up to him walking behind a few students, one whom he recognised as Demyx. Not wanting Demyx to hear him, he grabbed the blond's arm and pulled him closer.

"Okay, you caught me. I was looking for you."

"I thought so," came the reply.

Casting around for a quick topic, he blurted the first thing that came to his mind.

"Hey ... you know that song you played today? It was really nice. What song is it? I've never heard it before."

Grinning widely, the blond stood on his toes, yanked Axel's arm down so his lips met the redhead's ear.

"It's a secret that I cannot tell," he whispered, and the voice sent shivers up and down Axel's spine. He pulled back in shock, not returning the cheeky grin of the blond's but before he could say anything, again the blond walked away.

"It's just a song name," said Axel, pouting. "What's so secretive about it?"

The blond merely shook his head and placed a finger to his lips, before running off, weaving about the students.

"H - Hey! What's your name?" he called out, hearing his voice ring out in the hallways. The blond did not turn around.

"I already told you this morning," came the reply, from Demyx, who looked puzzled, standing a few feet away from him.

"Eh?" said Axel eloquently, trying to come up with words to explain.

"What's this? Picking up boys in the middle of hallways?" sneered a voice.

"Mr. Xemnas," said Demyx, nodding his head a little, before quickly making his escape.

"This is a school," droned the teacher, his stern gaze on Axel, "not a place to blatantly flaunt and flirt with the other students."

"Sorry, sir. I'm new. Having trouble remembering names," Axel bit out, annoyed.

"I see. Then you're excuse. Go on to your next class."

* * *

Axel's first day of school finally came to an end in the afternoon. He'd finally met all of his teachers and managed to pay attention in class, quashing the annoyance in him that the blond didn't have any other classes with him. He found himself looking forward to the next day, where he would see the blond again. All in all, his classes weren't boring, although he found he had another class with Demyx, this time regarding music theory and orchestra.

Demyx proved himself to be a musical genius, being able to play most instruments with apparent ease, and Axel was impressed with the blond's skills. Axel's skill was only with the piano and the guitar, and a bit drums courtesy of his brother. His thoughts drifted back to the blond, wondering if he could play anything else other than the piano.

It started to rain suddenly, and Axel cursed, balancing on his bicycle with one hand, another hand hoisting up his bag to shield himself from the rain. Already outside the school, he looked around for shelter, getting off of his bike.

Wondering if he should call Reno, he spotted his favourite blond standing underneath a shady tree planted in the school grounds. The branches and leaves protruding outside of the school provided shelter, and Axel quickly hurried over to him.

"It's you again," said the blond, smiling at him. His clothes were wet (this brought a dangerous lurch to Axel's nether regions) and his hair was ridiculously adorable when damp and messy. Chuckling, he reached out and ruffled the blond's hair, who scowled and ducked away from the irritating hand. Axel held his bag up above them, trying to shelter the both of them from the rain.

"It's Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"

"You sure it isn't spelt A-X-L-E?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure. What's your name, then? Is it a secret you can't tell as well?"

"It's Roxas," he said, mouth quirking upwards a little at the mock.

"Roxas," said Axel, testing out the name. "Hmm. Roxas. Anyway. In answer to your very first question when we met, yes, I'm new."

"No wonder I haven't seen you around before."

They stood in silence for a while, but this time it wasn't awkward silence, and Axel was in a happy mood, relishing the chance to be around this cute, mysterious blond. The rain started to let up after awhile, and Axel's arms were tiring from holding up his bag.

"You want a ride home?" said Axel, gesturing to his bike.

"Sure," said Roxas finally, after thinking it through. He clambered on behind Axel, grasping onto his waist. Axel shivered slightly under Roxas's touch, but he brushed it away and began cycling. As he cycled, Axel's thoughts drifted away to the warm body pressed against him from behind, and he smiled goofily himself, aware that Roxas couldn't see him from this position. He wondered how he should tell Roxas that he was gay, and that he might have a little crush on him... he wondered if Roxas would reject his advances. But then again, Leon said that the school had quite a number of them around ... and from the looks of it, things probably weren't going to be that bad in this school.

"Why don't you say something?" said Roxas, jolting Axel from his thoughts.

"Well... because you might say it's a secret and not tell me anything," said Axel cheekily. Roxas hit him lightly, resting his cheek on Axel's back.

_If I didn't know any better_, thought Axel. _He might be gay too. _

"So, who's your favourite composer?" asked Axel. He half-expected it to be another 'secret' reply, but it wasn't.

"Hmmm... I like most of them," replied Roxas, in a sing-song voice. Axel chuckled.

"Do you like rainy days or sunny days?"

"Hmmm... I like both of them," he replied again in that singsong voice.

"You play the piano very well," said Axel, realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere with silly questions.

"That's because I'm good."

"That's because I'm good," mocked Axel in a sing-song voice, resulting in another whack from Roxas.

"How about you play a song for me next time, huh?"

"No."

"Aw, come on. Please?"

"I'll think about it."

They chatted throughout the whole ride, and Axel found the blond surprisingly easy and fun to talk to, although he realised that most of the answers Roxas gave him to some questions were vague and questionable, though he didn't push it and enjoyed the sound of his voice.

"My house is near here," said Roxas, when they reached a stretch of road leading up to a hill. Axel slowed down and Roxas got off the bike.

"I can walk from here, thanks."

"I can walk you up," offered Axel.

"It's okay," said Roxas, smiling. "It won't be nice if my family sees you. Thanks for taking me home."

"No prob... see you, I suppose," said Axel, trying, and failing to hide his disappointment.

"See you."

Roxas's house, it turned out, was the first house on the base of the hill, so he walked inside the gate and waved to Axel before disappearing inside the house.

Axel stood there for a few minutes after Roxas had left, watching the house and reliving the memory of Roxas's hands around his waist. It left him feeling empty and happy all at once. Sighing, he turned his bike around, got on, and cycled home, eager to face the next day.

TBC

* * *

Axel on a bicycle -snerk-

Sigh, It's getting pretty hard to turn a het movie into a homo fan fic. Lol.

Please leave a review! Reviews are love!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone! This is a new project of mine. I must say, the plot here does not belong to me, it belongs to a very famous Asian artist called **Jay Chou**, and this is based on the movie he directed, which is called **"A Secret That Cannot Be Told**," direct translation from Mandarin.

I'm using the characters of KH here, because I love them, and Axel/Roxas is pure OTP love, and I'm testing my writing skills out on this plot which I also love, and also to introduce to the non-Asian people who might stumble across this fic of the awesomeness that is Jay Chou. To those of you who do know who I'm talking about, and have watched the movie, please leave a review (unless it's to flame Jay Chou, which I really can't tolerate because I'm an awesome fan of his..) and tell me what you think! And don't spoil anything for other readers too!

**Disclaimer : The characters belong to Kingdom Hearts, Square-Enix, all that jazz. The plot belongs to Jay Chou (most of it, at least). **

No reviews AT ALL? Come on guys, you're seriously breaking my heart...

**Secret : Chapter 3**

The next day, Axel stepped through the gates of the school, emerald-green eyes eagerly scanning the crowd for a short cute blond. He realised he had yet to find out so many things about Roxas, and the mystery of it intrigued him. Roxas seemed to randomly switch between shy and cheeky as well, which puzzled him greatly at times.

Looking around, he saw no sign of Roxas, so he walked dejectedly to the old building, hoping to find him in the old piano room with the baby grand. If anything, he would get to try baby grand piano, or maybe explore the floors above.

"Looking for me?"

"No, I was just going to check out the ... the old building," said Axel lamely, as he continued walking on. Demyx frowned a little, and then shrugged it off with a happy grin.

"See you in class," he said uncertainly, before walking off.

"Yeah, see you," said Axel. He spotted Namine at a corner with some other girls, eyeing him, and he scowled at them. They giggled, chattering amongst themselves, and gave a collective sigh when Demyx walked off.

"Stay out of this," he growled at them when he got nearer, storming off.

He had kept his hopes up; his spirits rising at the thought of Roxas who might possibly be there, tinkering away on the baby grand, his blond mess of spikes nodding away to the tune, and he even planned it out; maybe he would slip in quietly, then startle the blond by poking him in his cheek, and when he turned around he'd tap him on the nose.

Roxas's blush was a very cute thing he pictured in his mind...

But he wasn't there.

He wasn't there, and suddenly Axel wasn't quite sure what to do.

Sighing, he played a random song on the piano, testing out the sound. It was mellow, old... the keys were hard and the sound wasn't overly rich, but it had an old, antique feeling to it that reminded him of wood and hearth and warmth.

The bell rang, and Axel lingered there for awhile before trudging dejectedly to his first class of the day.

_Then _he remembered that he and Roxas had first class together.

And he all but sprinted to room 138.

* * *

No sign of the blond at all.

Frowning, Axel stared at Leon, who was talking about the Romantic period and the famous composers and what led to this period and how it branched out into the 20th century. Axel knew all of this jargon Leon was spouting, he knew it all and he didn't bother to listen, because right now all he wanted to do was walk out the class and go to Roxas's house and demand answers as to why he wasn't at school where Axel can see him.

Leon was writing on the board. Axel chanced a bored glance to the back of the classroom, Roxas's seat... but he wasn't there. Of course he wasn't there. Axel was expecting a sort of miracle, for the blond to just magically appear there and give him one of those cute, shy, half-smiles of his, and biting on the end of his pencil. He turned back to the front again; idly wishing class would be over soon.

After his second class, which was Music Theory, he had his third period free, so he decided to go to the old building and let out some steam. He realised the place was already beginning to hold some special meaning to him, despite only being his second day here in this school.

Setting his bag down, he pulled out a book from the bookshelf and began to play. Feeling utterly bored, he played without expression, without concentrating, as his mind wandered off without him. He was startled, though, suddenly, by sounds of heavy footsteps.

Two boys; a silver-haired one and a brunet dashed in, choking wildly in their laughter, before jumping into a cupboard at the corner of the room.

A teacher came in then, looking remarkably furious and purple in the face, chewing on a toothpick, and he barked angrily at Axel, who didn't pause in his playing.

"Did you see two boys come in here?"

"No," said Axel.

"Hmph, well fuck the whole lot of 'em," growled the teacher as he left, nearly making Axel play a wrong note. Hearing a teacher curse in front of a student was a rare thing.

Axel stopped playing, eyeing the cupboard with disdain.

"You can come out now," he said sourly. It wasn't his fault he was kinda bitter. Roxas wasn't here.

A few bumps sounded.

A moan.

Axel's left eye twitched.

"Ah - ah - AH! Ri - R-Rik - ah -"

He got up from the piano, an evil smirk painted on his face.

"Hey guys," he purred in a husky voice. "Mind if I join you?" he said, wrenching the cupboard doors open.

The two boys were fully clothed and chuckling, although it didn't escape Axel's eyes that their hands were entwined.

"We were just fooling around with you," said the silver-haired one, climbing out of the cupboard.

"Hiya!" greeted the brunet warmly, grinning at him. "I'm Sora. He's Riku! Thanks for not telling Cid," he added cheekily.

"No prob, yo. And the name's Axel," said Axel lazily, sauntering back to the piano.

"Hey, you play really well," said Sora, following him.

"You play the piano?"

"Nope! I play drums," replied Sora, randomly banging on the piano keys. Axel's heart ached for the poor, abused piano.

"Yeah, Sora likes to bang things," said Riku, running his fingers through his silver hair.

"What about you, then?"

"I play violin. And a bit of guitar."

"Welp!" said Sora happily, tugging on Riku's sleeve. "Gotta go, Axel. See ya around!"

They left the room, and Axel smiled a bit to himself, continuing to play on the piano.

* * *

School ended and Axel was more than disappointed. He hadn't seen Roxas the whole day. As he walked past room 138, he was suddenly tackled from behind.

"Hey," said the blond mess of spikes grinning at him upside-down.

"Where've you been the entire day?" hissed Axel, getting up angrily. The exhilaration had ended, now replaced by disappointment and anger.

"Skipping," came the nonchalant reply. Pouting, Axel walked beside Roxas, heading to the bicycle shed.

"Are you angry?" said Roxas softly, looking away.

Axel's heart melted at the sight.

"Not anymore," said Axel, sighing, ruffling Roxas's hair. Predictably, Roxas slapped his hand away, but with a small smile.

"Why, did you miss me?"

"Yeah, I did," said Axel solemnly. Roxas stopped and stared at him, a shocked look on his face. "I missed your _music_," he added cheekily, dispelling the inevitable awkwardness

"Oh," said Roxas. "But I missed _you_," he said, frowning.

Axel stopped and gaped at him.

"And your music," he added cheekily, grinning at Axel. Groaning, Axel aimed a sloppy whack at the blond, who ducked, chuckling. Something caught his eye just then, and he let out a sound of recognition.

Looking at where Roxas's attention was focused at, he saw Sora and Riku, looking quite annoyed at being found, herded out into the open area by ... Reno.

"Come on, let's go," said Axel, walking off quickly before his brother glimpsed him.

"So, where to on this fine, beautiful afternoon?" said Axel, getting on his bike, gesturing for Roxas to climb up behind him.

"Hmm... let me take you somewhere," said Roxas. "I want some ice cream."

"Oh? Is this a date?"

"No," said Roxas, although his happy tone indicated otherwise.

"Alright then, lead the way."

* * *

Axel found himself seated atop a clock tower watching the sunset with Roxas, licking away at a sea-salt ice cream. The scenery was beautiful, and Axel never knew such a place existed, and he wondered how Roxas knew of this place.

"What're you thinking about?" asked Roxas, leaning back on his arms, a half-eaten popsicle in his mouth.

"You," said Axel. "I don't know much about you ... but I want to know more."

"Well, what do you want to know, then?"

"Hmmm... How many people are there in your family, for starters?"

"Just me and my brother. What about you?"

"Huh, really? It's just me and my brother, too," replied Axel, finishing his ice-cream.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm. So what does your brother do?" asked Roxas.

"Oh, don't you know?" said Axel, feeling a little mischievous.

"How should I know?"

"Oh, you don't know. Oh well, if you don't know, that's fine."

"You're doing this on purpose," said Roxas, scowling.

"Well, you keep secrets from me, I'll keep secrets from you too!"

"This is about the other day, isn't it?"

"Yep!"

"I told you, it's just a secret I can't tell."

"Yeah, I know. But you'll tell me someday, I know," said Axel, getting up. Stretching, he turned to look at Roxas, disappointed that the day was already over. "It's late. Let me take you home."

TBC

* * *

Teaser : Next chapter!

_'106 ... 107 ... 108 ... Turn right.'_

Slowly, Roxas opened his eyes, smiling ... but the person he laid eyes on wasn't the one he wanted to see.

* * *

I know this story is still new, but I'd appreciate it if those of you who have added this to your favourite stories leave a review. Please. I got 3 reviews for the first chapter, which inspired me to continue this... and I received none at all for the second chapter. I'd really like it if you guys could leave something if you're following this story. It's not hard. Thanks.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the reviews, people! Really appreciate it!

The thing is, I really really want everyone to go and watch this movie, but yet if you watch the movie it'll spoil everything for this fic, and if you read this fic it'll spoil everything for the movie TT

I'm so anxious to finish this story it's so totally not fun lol. Now, this chapter was quite difficult to type out, because there's a PIANO BATTLE in it, and as you well know it's not really possible to type out MUSIC with words. Lol. So, what I'm going to do is try my best to describe the scene to detail, and I might consider putting up the link to the scene on YOUTUBE. Just imagine one as Axel and the other as ... well, read on and you'll see. If you don't want to watch the youtube video (because I can guarantee once you watch that video you'd definitely want to watch more and end up knowing the whole story before this fic finishes lol), I can try to upload the song I have of it and let you guys hear it. :)

**Disclaimer : The characters belong to Kingdom Hearts, Square-Enix, all that jazz. The plot belongs to Jay Chou (most of it, at least). **

Note: Most of the story will be in Axel's POV, but occasionally it will be from Roxas's POV (but I'm not going to write it in 1st person's POV, so don't worry xD)

**Secret : Chapter 4**

_106... 107... 108... Turn right. _

Slowly, Roxas opened his eyes, but the person he laid eyes upon wasn't the person he wanted to see. The guy was sitting at Axel's place, chatting with a group of girls... and Roxas couldn't help but notice his odd mullet hairstyle. Sighing softly to himself, he stood at the back door of room 138, looking around for a certain redhead. Seeing no sign of him, he proceeded to leave the place.

"Come, come quick! They're starting already!"

"What's starting?"

"The new kid! He's challenging _Zexion_!"

"Oh man, this I gotta see!"

The remaining students lounging about in the classroom left quickly, following the lead, to the old building. Roxas followed behind, running along with the rest of them, wondering if they could possibly be talking about Axel. He followed the crowd into a room with two pianos, usually used for duet practice. Scowling, he cursed the gods for making him short.

He could roughly make out Axel's fire-engine red hair on the right and another guy he didn't know on the left, and they were both engaged in a staring contest.

Some bimbotic pink-haired guy was at the front, holding a rose in his hand and twirling about while speaking.

Trying to squeeze in front a bit, he spotted the mullet guy he saw sitting at Axel's place just earlier. Tapping his arm, he asked, "What's happening?"

"Wait and see. Axel - that's the guy with red hair, he's the new student... he's going to play against Zexion," said the guy, turning back to the front. Roxas stood by his side, straining to see what was going to happen.

"And now, we give a round of applause to this brave new soul, who is going to have to work extremely hard to gain another round of applause after this, if you know what I mean?" said the pink-haired guy, giving Axel a mocking smile. Axel returned the smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Roxas scowled. He didn't like this pink-haired bimbo.

"Heh, Marluxia's so mean to Axel," said the mullet-haired guy to another blonde girl.

"Well, no one knows Axel's skill at the piano yet," she replied. "You can go take it up with Marluxia later, I'll be sure to tell Axel you were sticking up for him."

"Namine, shut up."

Marluxia whirled dramatically about, pointing to the other guy whom Axel was going to challenge.

"Now, I'm pretty sure you know his name," he said, flicking his hair and gesturing to his right. Hordes of girls screamed their love. Roxas was pretty sure the decibel level had gone beyond deafening.

"Zexion! Zexion! Zexion!!"

"Yes, Zexion... Our very own Piano Prince," said Marluxia. Zexion stared around the crowd haughtily, half of his face hidden by his silky hair.

"That is his title, new student, because..."

"My name," growled Axel," – is _Axel_. A – X – E – L. Got it _memorized_?"

_Got it memorized? _mouthed Roxas, smiling as he repeated the words at the same time as Axel said it out.

"Whatever, new student. There is no song that Zexion cannot play. And there is no one who can match his skills... dare you back out now, new student?"

"Shut up. Let's get it on, Zexy," said Axel, smirking.

Scowling at the newly acquired nickname, Zexion began to play a song. The audience quieted down, listening and watching intently. Roxas didn't need to see Zexion's expressionless face as he played, but the song, Chopin's Étude Op. 10, No. 5 was a well-known one and Roxas wasn't that impressed. Many piano-players could play that song, Roxas included. Not a single mistake, although that was to be expected of the best of the best. Roxas's eyes widened, however, when the key of the song changed, with Zexion easily repeating the tune of the Étude with different keys.

"Wow," said the mullet-haired guy beside him, "From black keys to white keys... brilliant."

Now Roxas was impressed. The etude was known as the Black Key Etude, because almost all of the notes of the first part were all black keys. Transposing it to a G major, and getting the whole tune right with all white keys, was something else entirely.

Zexion didn't play the whole song, of course, and he stopped at the end of four phrases.

"Did you hear that properly, new student?" said Marluxia, running his fingers through his pink hair. A few girls sighed and swooned. "You must not make any mistake... at all."

Smirking, Axel lifted his hands and began to play.

Maybe it was because Roxas had a little bit of a crush on the guy... maybe it was because Axel's eyes were so green and his hair so red, but Roxas found that Axel's playing attracted far more attention to himself rather than the sounds he produced. Axel played note for note, mimicking Zexion exactly, even at the modulation part... but as the song progressed Roxas found the difference between Axel's playing and Zexion's playing.

Axel was more expressive in his playing, and he showed it not only in his music, but in his body language as well.

"Huh," said Marluxia, giving that mocking smile again when Axel was done. Roxas desperately wanted to punch his face in. "Not bad, new student. It seems we need something more difficult this time," he said, gesturing towards Zexion.

Nodding, Zexion began another tune, a slow, minor dance, but Roxas frowned, noting that the actual song did not begin in that way. Zexion was starting with the middle part of the song.

"Chopin's Waltz in C Sharp Minor? Isn't that too easy...?" said Marluxia, tapping his chin, frowning.

Zexion had played about only eight bars of the song, before he improvised and changed the tune to a faster beat...playing his own arrangement of the song.

"Exactly," said Marluxia, with an air of superiority. "I knew it wasn't going to be easy!"

The crowd started clapping, following Marluxia's lead, to the beat of the song. Axel was looking around boredly, and Roxas couldn't hide a smirk at that.

"That's right, new student. Being able to play a song on the piano isn't all that remarkable... you need to be able to improvise and change on the spot... you think you can do it, new student? Are your ears as blessed as Zexion's?"

Axel didn't even bother replying.

He started immediately with Zexion's arrangement. A few cheers sounded from the crowd, as Axel played faster and faster. Roxas marveled at the speed and how easily Axel played it. At the end of the improvisation, Axel continued it with the original Chopin's Waltz, thus reversing the song Zexion had played.

There was silence after the clapping and cheering had ended.

"It seems," said Marluxia dramatically, bowing. "We have a wonderful show to watch today," he said, before retreating to the back of the room, letting the two piano players duke it out.

Zexion cracked his knuckles. He began first... a simple trill, his index and middle finger alternating rapidly, before branching out into a mellow, dark tune. The crowd oohed and aahed in response, especially when his fingers deftly moved across the piano into the higher range before descending back down. Ending his part with a high-pitched note, it was now Axel's turn.

Axel, again, played it note for note... but with only his left hand. Roxas could feel Axel's pleasure in playing, the joy on his face was hardly masked, and he knew what that feeling was. It was performing in front of an audience with the skills to show off, blood humming through veins and the pounding of adrenaline in your ears.

Glaring at Axel, Zexion played again, only to be followed up by Axel, and the two began a furious duet, cheered on by the audience. Their sounds intertwined and complemented each other so perfectly it was hard to tell who was playing what. They ended in sync, and the crowd roared its approval. Roxas was cheering, clapping, his face beaming with pride.

* * *

Getting up from his seat, Zexion nodded in respect to Axel, and Axel held out his hand for a handshake.

"Alright, get to class, everyone! Good show, Axel, Zexion, very exciting," said Marluxia, before following Zexion out the door after the handshake.

Scanning the crowd, Axel looked around for Roxas, but to his disappointment he wasn't there. Axel was beginning to feel a little bit frustrated, because the blond showed up at the oddest times and often skipped class. Sometimes Axel wouldn't see him for days, sometimes Axel saw him only after school. They spent their time together, of course, away from prying eyes, eating sea-salt ice cream, walking and talking, but Roxas rarely showed when Axel wanted him to.

_In fact_, Axel thought, thinking hard, _Roxas only shows up whenever I'm alone... _

"That was really good, Axel," said Demyx, interrupting his train of thought.

"Yeah, thanks," replied Axel, smirking. He was entitled to feel a little proud; Zexion's skill at the piano was really, really good. Knowing he had matched up to his standard was quite an accomplishment for him.

"Let's walk to class together," suggested Demyx.

"Um, sure, but I need to head back to my locker first, so why don't you just go ahead?" said Axel, waving. "See you in class."

It was kind of obvious that Demyx was attracted to him, but he didn't want to encourage anything. He'd kick Namine if he could, but he just didn't hit girls. No guy should ever do that. Making sure Demyx was heading off to class, he slipped back inside the piano room, waiting for a bit. He was alone now, maybe Roxas would show up...

He was scolded later on, when he turned up to class fifteen minutes late.

* * *

So, alright, his theory about Roxas was proven wrong, but that didn't mean Axel didn't like to be alone once in awhile. So there he sat the next day, under a shady tree overlooking the football field, devouring his lunch... when someone pushed him from behind. He choked, spluttering.

"You ass! I could've choked and died!"

"Sorry," said Roxas, not sounding sorry at all.

"Hmph. My poor back," said Axel, rubbing it.

"Hey."

"Hmm?"

"Yesterday... you played really well."

Axel stopped munching, looking up from his food. "You were there?"

"Yeah. I was there."

"I didn't see you there. Why didn't you show yourself?"

"...I didn't want to distract you."

"Heh," said Axel, chuckling. "I bet you were right at the back, too short for me to see."

Roxas scowled and whacked Axel hard.

"OW! Watch it, dammit, I'm eating! Is that admission of the truth? Hmm?"

"Shut up!"

"Aww, Roxy. You wouldn't distract me."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better," muttered Roxas under his breath. Axel lifted a hand to his forehead, sighing dramatically.

"All the pretty guys and girls out there... none of them would distract me when I'm playing. They're all just - nothing to me."

Roxas immediately grew quiet, looking away.

"Roxy?"

"What?"

"I... well. I'm just talking about when I'm playing. Other than that... you know you're special to me, Roxas."

"... I know," said Roxas softly.

They sat in silence for awhile, Roxas feeling happier than he'd ever been in awhile.

"So why did you challenge that guy?"

"Hmm… you wanna try and guess?" said Axel, poking Roxas on the cheek with the end of his chopsticks.

"It's a secret that you can't tell," said Roxas dully, in a monotone. Scowling, he added, "You are so annoying."

"You're annoying too! With all your secrets that you can't tell."

"It was only one – " said Roxas indignantly, but he was rudely cut off by Axel.

"I don't pry, Roxas, and I don't want to, but I worry sometimes. Where do you go when you're not in class?"

Before Roxas could answer, he was interrupted by someone calling Axel's name.

"Yo! Axel!"

Sora and Riku were on the field, shouting at him.

"We're gonna play in a band for the graduation dinner – and we want you to play the piano! Will you do it?"

Pondering, Axel looked to his side at Roxas for his opinion. Smiling, he nodded.

"Sure! When do we practice?" Axel yelled back, setting down his lunch box.

"Practice?" growled another voice. Riku and Sora immediately stood straight, alert. Another redhead strolled out onto the field, a paper fan in his hands. Roxas immediately ducked out of sight; but before Axel could question him he was also called to the field.

"Axel! You get over here too!"

Sighing, he jumped down from the low wall, walking over to his brother in resignation.

TBC

* * *

Teaser : Next chapter!

_"Play a song for me," he demanded. _

_"Better yet," said Axel, smirking. "Let's play a duet."_

* * *

I've searched and searched, but I can't find the song title of the third piano battle piece. Which leads me to believe that it might not be a classical piece at all. The duet, however, is solely Jay Chou's arrangement, called Flight of the Bumblebee (not the Maksim one, lol).

So, who wants to see the video? Who just wants to hear the song? Lol. Tell me and I'll PM you or something.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the reviews!

**Disclaimer : The characters belong to Kingdom Hearts, Square-Enix, all that jazz. The plot belongs to Jay Chou (most of it, at least). **

No one asked for the video link? Lol.

Short chapter, sorry. :(

**Secret : Chapter 5**

"Who said you could just walk away from practice like that?" growled Reno, tapping his shoulder casually with a relay baton.

"Sorry ... but, well, the band is important!"

"And you," said Reno, rounding on Axel. "Who said you could eat on the field? Do I ask you to run laps in a restaurant? No, right?"

Axel didn't say anything.

"Get back to running!" said Reno, whacking Riku and Sora with the baton and tossing it after them.

"Can I go now?" asked Axel dully.

"I'm not done with you yet, sheesh. We're going out to dinner today. With Leon and some others. So be back early, okay? You've been disappearing so much you only show up at dinnertime."

"Must you drag me along...? You're all grown-ups there..." grumbled Axel. "I don't want to go..."

"If you don't go then what are you going to do about dinner?"

"I'll just buy something back to eat. Besides, I had plans to hang out with friends today," said Axel, thinking of Roxas.

"Hmm... well, fine then. Can't say you'd enjoy yourself during dinner, but well. More food for me," said Reno, smirking. Axel rolled his eyes.

"Whatever... can I _go _now?"

"Yeah, get out of my sight," said Reno lazily, pulling out a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it.

"You're not supposed to smoke."

"I know, loser. You gonna tell on me?"

"Not really. See ya."

Jogging back to his almost-finished lunch, Roxas peered at him from behind a tree.

"What did he want?"

"Nah, just to scold me for eating on the field. Honestly," said Axel, rolling his eyes. Munching on the last of his lunch, he packed up the lunchbox into his bag and stood up.

"Who were those other two boys?" questioned Roxas, walking alongside Axel as they made their way towards the school building.

"Why, you jealous?"

"No," said Roxas, scowling.

"Friends, I suppose. I don't hang out with them though. Just say hi occasionally when we see each other..."

There was silence as they passed by a group of giggling and chattering girls.

"I see," said Roxas, once they had passed. "But they don't look like the type of people you'd hang out with, though."

"Hmm, do _you _look like the type of person I'd hang out with?" joked Axel. Roxas frowned and looked away.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he said indignantly.

"Or rather... do _I _look like the kind of person you'd hang out with?" said Axel, grinning. Roxas stopped and glared at him.

"Hey, don't give me that look. It's just... well. You're so – I mean, I'm just a normal, common, _gay _guy. Heh. And ... you're ... not. Common, I mean."

"Then what am I?"

"You're special," said Axel, winking and tapping Roxas on the nose.

"No ... I'm not ... well, I think you're special, too," said Roxas softly.

"What was that? I can't hear you," said Axel, grinning widely. Inside his mind, a dozen mini-versions of himself were whooping and dancing with joy. Roxas growled, his cheeks growing red. Axel laughed and mussed up his hair.

"So, if I'm really that special to you..." Roxas froze up, knowing where this was going. "Tell me, what is it that's so mysterious about you...?"

"Again, Axel?" groaned Roxas, ducking out from under the annoying hand messing up his hair. "Alright, alright, I'll tell you..."

Intrigued, Axel leaned closer to the blond.

"If you play me a song, I'll tell you!" said Roxas, grinning, and dashed off.

Axel made a grappling motion as though to choke the air before him, and ran after the little blond.

* * *

"La la la laaaaaaaaaa," sang Axel, and Roxas winced.

"You know, for such an accomplished pianist, you sing rather horribly," remarked Roxas, as he leaned against the edge of the piano, watching Axel play. Axel's back was facing him, his right hand playing a simple tune on the piano. Roxas didn't need to look at Axel's face to know that he was grinning and his emerald green eyes were closed.

"I don't need to sing nicely to make you _looooove_ me," crooned Axel, swaying his head to the melody.

"You really enjoy playing with one hand, do you?" said Roxas, avoiding the topic altogether, feeling his cheeks getting warm. "Like the piano battle the other day."

"Yeah, because like this ... my other hand is _free_," Axel purred, his left hand stretching towards Roxas in a "come hither" gesture. Chuckling, Roxas smacked the hand for good measure, but his hand was caught swiftly and he ended up being pulled closer toward the redhead.

"You're supposed to play me a song."

"I got a better idea," said Axel, smirking at Roxas's pout. "Let's play a duet."

"A duet?" repeated Roxas sceptically.

"Yeah, a duet. Think about it. Wouldn't it be romantic?"

"I never pegged you as the romantic type..."

"Come on. It's much more fun to play together."

"Sure, I suppose... Okay. Which part do you want to play? Primo or secondo?" asked Roxas, settling himself down on Axel's right side, shoving the other so that he had more room to sit.

"Both," said Axel, grinning at him. Being so close to Roxas was making him giddy with delight.

"Both? How?"

"Like this," said Axel triumphantly, slipping his right hand underneath Roxas's left, positioning their hands on the piano keys.

"This looks difficult to work with," said Roxas, frowning and biting his lip as he shifted closer to Axel.

"Don't worry. We'll try something simple first," said Axel, getting up and retrieving a music book for duet songs. "Then, we'll create our own song."

"Okay, hold on; let me get this straight... I'm playing your right-hand part with my left hand ..." said Roxas, peering anxiously at the notes on the book.

"And I'm playing _your _left-hand part with my right hand."

"... I'm confused..."

"Let's just try it! Come on, one – two – three –"

* * *

They practiced for about a week, and finally they managed to get it right. Axel enjoyed being close to Roxas, and every time their hands brushed together and electric jolt shot up his nerves... making it difficult to concentrate on coordinating properly with him. They were writing up a short duet of their own, and Axel went to sleep each night, exhausted, coming up with the perfect music score for the both of them.

Later on, they'd finally manage to complete it and play it properly in sync, grinning proudly at each other at the end of the song, when the sound of footsteps approaching made Roxas bolt for the cupboard doors.

The door was opened and Axel immediately schooled his features into a casual expression, beginning another song. Leon strode in, holding a couple of books in his hand.

"That's strange," he mused, "I thought I heard a duet."

"There's no one else here," said Axel, looking up at him.

"Then explain the duet..."

"Well, maybe I was playing so fast it sounded like a duet to you," said Axel smarmily. The piano battle had garnered Axel a lot of attention from schoolmates, and he was now well known for his speed and precision when playing the piano. Hopefully, this could throw Leon's suspicions off.

Although why Roxas was hiding away during their free period ... Axel couldn't understand.

A sound issued from the cupboard in the room, and Axel's heart beat faster. _Shit, Roxas, I save your hide and you spoil it by laughing at me? What the hell?_

Walking over to the cupboard, Leon wrenched open the door and Axel heard Roxas's startled gasp.

Sighing, Leon turned away from the cupboard and asked Axel, "Are you skipping class?"

"No."

"I don't quite believe you ... but never mind. I'll just pretend I didn't see anything then," said Leon, as Roxas got out from the cupboard. "At least you're not wasting your time doing other things. Practice well," he added, before leaving the room.

"Why'd you hide, Roxie?"

"I ... I thought it was someone else," said Roxas lamely.

"Someone else?"

"I – I just didn't want – just drop it, okay?" said Roxas anxiously.

The bell rang just then. Roxas said goodbye, gave Axel a swift peck on the cheek, and dashed off before he could say anything.

TBC

* * *

Okay, fine, no more teasers! Lol.

Primo is usually the person on the higher notes of the piano... secondo is the lower notes. Axel decided to play both by intertwining their hands. Lol.

Please review? :)


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for the reviews!

**Disclaimer : The characters belong to Kingdom Hearts, Square-Enix, all that jazz. The plot belongs to Jay Chou (most of it, at least). **

-sigh- I just love the both of them together...

**Secret : Chapter 6**

Axel fidgeted in his seat, listening in amusement as he watched a fellow classmate play on the flute accompanied by another piano player. It was his second period and he couldn't wait for the bell to ring so that he could go find Roxas. The blond hadn't appeared during first period. Though Axel should have been used to it by now, he still couldn't help but wonder where Roxas went during those seemingly random disappearances.

"Now, let's have a piano major come up and demonstrate," said the teacher. "How about you, Demyx?"

There was no answer. Everyone turned to Demyx.

"Demyx?"

"Um, yes s-sir?" said Demyx, who'd been jolted out of his stupor by someone poking him at his side. Most of the students around him sniggered. They knew perfectly well who he was staring at.

"Never mind," said the teacher, sighing at the lack of attention. "How about you, Axel?"

Axel got up wordlessly and played. He should have been more perceptive, but he was only preoccupied with Roxas; Roxas who was his maybe-kinda-boyfriend, because they hadn't really made it clear to each other yet.

He should have noticed Demyx's staring.

He should have noticed a lot of things…

He should have seen it coming...

* * *

After class, he hung back impatiently as the teacher commented about a hastily and poorly done assignment. He was one of the last few to leave the class. As he was heading for his locker, he got distracted by Sora, who shouted at him from across the hall, startling him and all the students around him.

"AXEL! AXEL! WANNA SHOOT SOME HOOPS LATER?" he yelled, grinning and waving madly. Riku was behind him, groaning and shaking the brunet.

"NO, NOT TODAY!" Axel had yelled back in annoyance. And then Leon had came out from one of the classrooms and proceeded to berate him for yelling. Sora, the little bugger, had run off, along with the rest of the students, leaving Axel to take the blame.

Grumbling and cursing all brunets in the world, he finally reached his locker.

"Hey," said Demyx, suddenly appearing in his line of sight.

"Hi," he replied back, fiddling with the combination lock.

"Um, could you ... send me home today?"

Axel blinked, at a loss for words. He gaped at Demyx, imitating a goldfish for about a few seconds.

"You know ... on your bike," said Demyx, making riding motions with his hands.

"I... er... I... ah... um. I – " said Axel incoherently.

"It's okay," said Demyx hurriedly, walking away in embarrassment. "I was joking. Bye."

Scratching his head, Axel sighed. And then the door of the empty classroom he was standing outside suddenly opened, startling him. A head poked out, blue eyes glinting with mischief as he locked gazes with Axel.

"Hey, can you send me home today?" mocked Roxas, imitating Demyx's hand motions.

"Of course," replied Axel, smirking. He bent his body a little bit, as though sitting on an imaginary bicycle and held out his arms in front of him. "Hop on."

Roxas came out of the classroom and pushed him lightly. "Flirt."

"What? I didn't even say anything," cried Axel indignantly. "And, _hmmmmmmmm, someone _skipped class today."

"Really? Who?"

Rolling his eyes, Axel sighed. "Fine... Keep your stupid secrets. Anyway, let's go, I wanna get out of here."

"Don't you have class later?" asked Roxas sceptically. Flexing his arms on the imaginary handlebars, Axel grinned.

"You don't wanna go? I'll _cycle _ahead and ask Demyx to go with me then," he said, taking a step forward and Roxas scowled. "Coming?"

"Yeah, yeah, smartass," muttered Roxas, holding back a grin as he held onto Axel's waist on the imaginary bicycle.

* * *

It was a fun game, Axel decided, running along with Roxas and making sure they weren't caught as they sneaked out of school. Luckily Axel was tall, and he was able to heft Roxas up so that he could climb over, before climbing up the wall himself. Dropping to the ground in silent laughter, they made a run for it.

"So, where to?"

"I don't know. You were the one who wanted to hang out and skip class."

"Roxie..." said Axel, realising something.

"Don't call me that."

"We can't go anywhere without the bike."

"Weren't we riding one just now?" said Roxas, amused. Axel growled at him.

"Hey, no big deal. Let's just walk around nearby until the bell rings and then we'll go back and get your bike..."

"Hmm, good idea. We can figure out what we want to do later in the meantime..."

Holding his breath, he grabbed Roxas's hand and began to tug him away from the school. Roxas's hand was so small. He waited for some kind of sign that showed Roxas wasn't comfortable...until he felt Roxas gently squeeze back. Grinning madly, he let their arms sway as they walked around the neighbourhood behind the school.

"So, Roxas... tell me more about your brother," said Axel, stuffing his free hand into his pocket.

"Mmm... he's blond, like me. His hair is spiked... like me."

"Natural?"

"Mine's natural too, you know..." said the blond, patting his spikes with his other hand.

"Wow. Does he look like you?"

"Kinda, I suppose. I mean, we're brothers after all. He's taller, though," said Roxas, scowling.

"Name?" said Axel, choosing wisely not to comment on Roxas's lack of height.

"Cloud."

"Cloud? Like, fluffy clouds in the sky?" asked Axel, pointing up. Chuckling, Roxas nodded.

"Yeah. He's... eight years older than me."

"Wow. Reno's about seven years older. Never thought we'd be so alike," said Axel thoughtfully.

"Parents?"

"Not there," said Roxas.

"Yeah, same here..."

Axel didn't press the issue. He wanted to know if Roxas's parents were just _gone_, like his, or if he meant something else by it.

"What's your brother's name?"

"Reno."

Roxas stopped suddenly. He had an odd look on his face. Axel cringed, knowing what Roxas thought.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Reno Sinclair... I don't like people to know about it because I hate being connected to a teacher, but most people see the red hair and make connections themselves..."

"Don't worry," promised Roxas, still with that odd voice, like he knew something Axel didn't. "I won't tell anyone if they ask."

"Thanks, Roxie," cooed Axel, patting his blond spikes.

"Let's go to the pier," said Roxas. "It's just near my house..."

"Sure," said Axel, and they headed back to school to get his bike.

* * *

The late afternoon sun was beautiful as a backdrop to Roxas's features, Axel thought, as he stared the little blond in front of him. It wasn't sundown yet, so everything wasn't painted in a dark orange glow, but Axel thought the view was amazing. Roxas seemed to shine to his eyes.

"Whatcha looking at?" asked Roxas, turning around to stare at the redhead.

"Secret."

"Stop it!" huffed Roxas, annoyed. Axel chuckled.

"Sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all.

They went to sit on a bench, close to each other, watching the sea sparkle and glimmer under the sun's light. There was a breeze blowing at their hair gently, but all Axel could feel was the warm body pressed to his side.

"Wanna hear a secret?" said Roxas softly.

"Finally!" said Axel, lifting up his arms to the sky in thanks. Roxas whacked him hard.

"I..." said Roxas, biting his lip. Axel whipped around to stare at him, heart pounding fast. There was an awkward pause as Roxas tried to say the words.

_Is he going to say what I think he's going to say...? _thought Axel, his grip on the blond's hand tightening.

"I – counted."

"What?" said Axel, completely thrown by the random statement.

"I counted... exactly 108 steps from the piano classroom we met to room 138," said Roxas, smiling slightly.

"What kind of nonsense secret is that?" grumbled Axel in disappointment. "I was expecting to hear something life-changing."

"Maybe you will," said Roxas quietly.

They sat in silence for awhile, holding hands, just relaxing in the comfort of each other.

"You know... I never see you hanging around with other people."

"I guess I don't have many friends."

"Why not?" said Axel, looking scandalised.

"No one likes me, I suppose," replied Roxas, seemingly unperturbed by this fact.

"No way," Axel said incredulously. "You're so likable. So adorable too," he cooed, pinching Roxas's cheek.

"Stop it," growled Roxas, batting the offending hand away.

"Well, _I _like you," declared Axel proudly, grinning at the blond. Roxas managed a small smile back.

"Really?"

"Definitely."

"Not...Demyx?"

"Definitely not," said Axel, horrified. Roxas leaned closer then, a smug smile on his lips.

"I like you too," he whispered back shyly, and Axel claimed his lips in a kiss that took his breath away.

TBC

* * *

THEY'RE KISSING!! Lol.

Enjoy the happy moments while it lasts -snerk-

Please review? :)


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